My husband and I used to live in a house that looked VERY similar to this (note: that photo is not of my house). I miss it so much, I wish I could get it back. It was the first house we bought when we were young marrieds. That house was love at first sight.
I have always adored small houses with fairy tale doors and pointy roofs. While living in our small house, I spent many happy hours contemplating the various ways I could open up walls, add windows, bump things out and maximize storage space. I was very content with our small house, but I wanted it to live larger and function better. I loved dreaming up ideas for my little house that would solve all of its problems but retain its charm.
I had so much fun thinking about different ways I could improve the layout or overall feel without buying a bigger house! Confession time. While I have lived in a really big house for the past five years, I am ready to sell it and get back to small house living. I was extra inspired to see some of my favorite small house ideas online at This Old House. It reminded me of how much fun I had dreaming of the possibilities!
So, here are 10 of my favorite BIG ideas for small houses:
Bumped out windows can really enlarge an awkward space.
For much less than adding on an entire room,
you can transform the room you have.
Add interior glass doors for charm and to bring light and
movement through a house. In this case, by simply adding some roller
shades or curtains to these doors you can have an instantly private guest room
by night and a brighter more open house by day.
Create a courtyard patio. I love this idea and actually put in a
courtyard like this in my old house.
It doubled our living space in mild weather and
was so much more charming than a worn patch of grass.
Old houses and small houses always seem to be lacking in storage.
By building in drawers and cabinets, you can
create a lot more function in a small space.
Install windows and doors to the outside.
Visually your space will expand even on a dreary day.
Remove walls. Many old houses feel a bit boxy and closed in.
Simply removing some non-load bearing walls can really open things up.
This stairway becomes a charming part of
the dining room instead of a closed off space.
Use the nooks and crannies. It is amazing how
much space you can find that is going to waste.
Built ins under the stair case make great use of space.
If you are so fortunate as to be able to remodel a bathroom,
clear shower doors can double the visual room size
and windows can add in lots of light.
Create double-duty rooms that pack a lot of function into a small space.
Vault a ceiling to make a room more spacious and dramatic.
Do you live in a small house? Do you prefer small houses or big houses?
What are some of your favorite small house tricks for making it live large?
All photos: This Old House
what a beautiful house from the outside AND inside!!!
Great ideas for making a small house more livable.
We used to live in a very small house. When we remodeled it, we
removed a lot of the walls, opening up several of the small cramped rooms to make a larger more comfortable space. To keep the room from looking too busy we kept our color palette neutral and added color with the smaller accessories.
Thank you for sharing!
Brookes inspiring blog post..My Home in the Marina
You’ve got a new layout on your blog, haven’t you (or else I’m going senile)? It looks great, congratulations!
I live in a tiny rental apartment with no additional storage, so I try to use the height of the walls for storage & decorating. It’s not easy, but small-space living forces you to declutter and to reconsider the stuff you own. I’ve given a lot to the Salvation Army shops, and this way the apartment feels better, and I feel better!
The Deco Detectives inspiring blog post..Bravacasa
When we built, I thought our house was big! Not so by today’s standards.
I made sure that all the decorating & colors for every room tied in with each other, creating a theme. (It used to be monochromatic, now it’s “Island Minimalist”.)
I keep clutter to a minimum & natural light to a maximum.
I love the ideas in today’s blog!
Jinxs inspiring blog post..Caramel Apple Pie
Great ideas.
Love them all.
I need to find ideas to increase the storage capacity of my rented townhome. I can’t build anything or take a wall down so it’s more like be creative as creative can be. :>)
Any tips?
Meghans inspiring blog post..Cupcake Queen of Nevada
I feel the same way….wish we still lived in our little bungalow over this home, which is twice the square footage. It’s funny what we ‘think’ we want…and then when we are lucky enough to get it, we realize what we had wasn’t so bad after all. Life’s funny that way.
Loved all of these ideas and photos.
Bella
Bella Casas inspiring blog post..Political Wordless Wednesday
We live in a very small house! 1100 sq. ft. While I don’t wish for a huge place, I sure would love just another 1000 sq feet in living room, dining room and bedroom space. We always host the family gatherings and as the kids grow into adults the squeeze gets tighter every year! My dream would be to add on a very large family room that would open into the current living room with french doors to make one big space for those gatherings!
Kathys inspiring blog post..Fall Porch Party
Our last house was a teensy little spanish/med cottage. LOVED it…and happened to do most of what you mentioned. We redid the kitchen and a bath and turned a screened in porch into a sunroom.family space with three french doors to a new patio! LOVE the efficiency of a tiny space…especially a small kitchen!
Great post!
I absolutely love all the ideas, but the bathrooms and the built ins under the staircase are by far my favorites. I’m wishing I had a staircase right about now…
Kristens inspiring blog post..Wedding Wednesday!
I love those pictures! We did a lot of the same things…hardwood floors really opens things up too and maybe it’s the echo, but the rooms seem larger!
Sarahs inspiring blog post..Vintage Parenting in the 21rst Century: Chapter Five: Children’s Sports
I love all the ideas you’ve given. And I have a question for you. We have a bumped out window in our living room – not quite as wide as the one you pictured. I used to have a valance hanging there, kind of a foofy affair. We’ve taken that down and just have wide slat blinds (white) on the windows now. But I’d like some kind of curtain/window treatment to finish it a little and to add warmth, especially in the winter. Any ideas?
Lorrie
we live in a big house but i looooove smal cozy houses too. someday we may go back to that. they sure are easier to clean.
these are all such good ideas. i love the drawers under the stairs! in our old house…that was wasted space! what a great idea!
meg duerksens inspiring blog post..i was on a roll.
Hi, this is my first comment on your blog, but I’m a frequent reader.
We live in a small home–5 of us plus a cat & dog in 1200 sq ft. That’s 2 bedrooms! It’s tight, but we love it. We have a 12 ft wall of windows in the front, facing south. That’s how we make it appear larger & more open. My kitchen is tiny & we’re working on an addition.
Julies inspiring blog post..Tybee Island, our vacation
Small house here, too. I think that we’ve done about half of these things so far. That little house is so charming…wish mine were half so cute.
I’m still working my way through the Porches on Parade list. What fun that has been. Thanks, Melissa!
Vee~A Haven for Vees inspiring blog post..And then there was Nan’s
Our rooms are much smaller than the ones you’ve pictured. We were blessed to have many of the things you mentioned come with the house. But I have to say I LOVE those cabinets and drawers under the steps. What an AMAZINGLY CLEVER use of space!! I’ve never seen anything like it!
Debs inspiring blog post..Burgularized!
Yes, I have a brand new layout and banner so little by little I am getting all settled in!
Lorrie, On the bump out, I would do stationary curtains on either side using those small rods that don’t go all the way across. I have them in my dining room (even though we don’t have a bumpout window). I think they would add just the right amount of warmth and finish the window off nicely!
Good tips here in the comments! Thanks!
Happy day!
Melissa
Oh Hon, you are so cute! You actually admit that you want your small house back!!!
I want a small house too! Not the generic one we had, first though. Ours was not cute. I want that Story Book house you picture! !! Ohhhhhhhhh yesssssss!
And look in back, it even has what could be a Work Shop for my husband! It’s probably the garage, in this house setting. But it would be a Work Shop! Our garage already is that here.
For many reasons, we will live out our days in this now-too-big 2 story house, in which we raised our family. Yes, it’s too big for us now. No, it’s not nearly AS big as a 3 kid family house *has to be* today! LOL.
But I will always want a charming Story Book Cottage with just enough rooms for two people. -sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-
And I repeat, you are so cute!
Gentle hugs,
Miss Mari-Nanci
Miss Mari-Nancis inspiring blog post..Of beautiful leaves, and smaller sizes… ,-)
Oh my! I love that little tiny house with the arched doorways and windows. The little path leading to the door. It’s so cute! I wish I could buy it and live there! Someday…
Thanks for the ideas! I’m going to need all the tips I can get for living in a small space!
HBees inspiring blog post..4/20
We live in a 1400 sq.ft home. When we bought it, it was a wreck! We ripped out carpet and vinyl, we tore down horrible plastic trim from around the doors…in their place we added pine floors, new interior doors purchased at a construction auction for $68 for 8 doors! We put new door trim in a traditional style and new baseboard trim. It is still a work in progress but we love it – the living room and kitchen are open to each other, it is a charming house, now.
Many would think that we would need a much bigger home as we have 6 kids, but we don’t. It is perfect for us.
Deannas inspiring blog post..High Flying Boy
Oh yes, I love the coziness of smaller homes too!
HBees inspiring blog post..4/20
Wow these pictures of little houses look huge compared to our 1020 sq ft ranch; we are finishing half the basement and thrilled to have more living space for our family of 7 going on 8.
LOVE your blog.
We live in what is an average size house her in Mass. It’s about 1800sf and we raised the four boys here with 1.5 baths with no problem. Now that they are gone we are having fun doing mini makeovers on each room and spreading out a bit. I think we will stay here for quite a while as it is not too big and not too small…just right. Oh yeah, and my husband swears he will never move again!
Janet
janets inspiring blog post..HAVE YOU HEARD?
Hi, Melissa, I love all these pics…very pretty. I guess I live in a fairly large house at 3000 SF, but I could go smaller easily. I’d love all the charm of an older small house, but I think I would miss the storage that a larger house has. I definitely don’t want to go any bigger than the one I’m in now. It’s plenty big!
Rhodas inspiring blog post..Covering a Lampshade
I needed this post today. Totally fabulous ideas! Thanks, Melissa! stumbled.
Emily@remodelingthislifes inspiring blog post..Link Love: Pumpkins Galore!
okay, I think I’ve got everyone beat here.. we’re in 960 sq ft and there are 6 of us. we’re debating the first one you’ve listed there about popping the windows out to fix part of the area, but honestly i’m at a loss we have a total open plan and i really don’t have a clue what to do with it, other than totally go ikea, which I’m not really fond of.. i’m a traditional kinda girl, so it’s been a huge frustation of mine how to make it work.
amydeannes inspiring blog post..WFW ~
My house is 900 main floor and 900 finished walk out basement. It’s way too big. The only person that goes downstairs is my dh because his workshop is there. The main floor is laid out badly and would reveal more space if we could rearrange some walls.
I have in my mind a house about 1000 square feet (for 4-6 people)1 floor (I hate having a basement) open concept. It would be a stone cottage like the old English cotswold type homes.
Ahh it would be lovely.
Jens inspiring blog post..More Halloween Treats
Love these ideas too!
Amy from Texass inspiring blog post..Costumes- Halloween Party Day 4
In my dreamland of never ending funds and a super creative and productive mind, I’d do each one!! LOVE the ideas, HATE that I lack the funds, and WISH I lived in one of this spots.
Farrahs inspiring blog post..Friday Blast to the Past…Kool Aid
I loved this one Melissa and will be referring back to it.
We’ve built a courtyard patio and next year will be building an outdoor brick barbecue (can’t wait!) I;ve also had so much fun installing shelves and changing things – I love my small house! The next thing I want to do is something I’d forgotten about that you just re-inspired: French doors!
Thanks
Mavens inspiring blog post..A Rock, A River, A Tree… Country Weekends, New Beginnings, and Porches on Parade
Love these photos. Unfortunately for me, the small houses in my town aren’t nearly this charming. They’re tiny ranches that all look exactly the same, or bi-levels from the ’80s. I wish builders would catch a clue and build us some smaller homes with character and detail and storage as in days gone by. *sigh*
Julia @ Hooked on Housess inspiring blog post..The House from the Shia LaBeouf Movie “Disturbia”
I live in a small, boxy tract home built in the mid-70′s. No storybook charm here. (Unless you count the lava rock fireplace as “rustic” and “woodsy”. I did not. It’s been refashioned.)
To bring charm and cottagey style we have added: wainscoating and mouldings, french doors and multi-paned windows, panelled interior doors, broken flagstone paths, white-painted trellises and arbors front and back, and lots of color, pattern and texture. Contrary to popular belief, I think small rooms look better with color on their walls and lots of layers of furniture and accessories to blur the edges and give you plenty to look at so you don’t focus only on how small the space is.
Best way to make a small space feel more expansive: medium to darkish wood floors. We learned that lesson by installing wood in only half the house and the difference is glaringly obvious. Next project: panelling the vaulted ceilings in our living room and kitchen. As soon as I can get the husband on board . . .
What an adorable house! Okay, when we moved to SoCal we “downsized”. I guess not so much as I still live in about 2900 sq ft. It is chopped up and I REALLY wanted a great room, but none were to be had in this area. Storage is vital in SoCal therefore too many people use their garages. We have lots and lots of bookshelves and built-ins. Here windows, light and outdoor living are key to open up spaces. What I need to know is where did you get that dining room picture? I NEED that table, seriously.
Karen Bs inspiring blog post..Staircase Love
Wonderful ideas! We live in an average house – just right for us, but storage is definitely lacking. You always have something that makes me look around my house with a new perspective and gets me to start “dreaming” about ways to improve it!
Lisa @ Stop and Smell the Chocolatess inspiring blog post..Tea for Two-sday ~ Another Tea Poem
What a great post, very helpful. And lovely photos, too. You always find the best photos. Drool, drool, drool. I’m dying to know which neighborhood you live in. My old house was much simpler, but in this same English vein. Loved it! But oh, those small rooms! I spent so much time mentally remodeling.
~Angela
Angela (Cottage Magpie)s inspiring blog post..Drive By: Gathering Autumn Porch Ideas
What a beautiful house! I DO live in a small house – an old 1950s farmhouse in rural ND. I just got married this summer, and my husband has been renting the house we now live in for the last 5 years, so any changes I’ve made or can make are better if they’re not structural:).
A few things I’ve done to turn “old farmhouse, untouched for years” into “hip farmhouse lived in by cool newlyweds”…
* I ripped up the blue shag carpet and revealed the beautiful hardwood underneath. Always a good move.
!
* I took down ALL the wallpaper. No one needs that. And clean, fun paint colors have brightened up all of our rooms!
* I tore down old, dusty, space-consuming curtains – there were windows under there
* I cleaned. A lot:).
* I use as many creative lighting solutions to light up the rooms as possible. Light makes it all seem bigger:).
Cassies inspiring blog post..Not Tasty Tuesday:S…
Be still my heart…I love that house. Great ideas- Right now I’m living in a small little bungalow- at first I thought it was going to be a pain. But I’m so enjoying the coziness of it. One thing I’ve learned is natural light is a must! It really helps to have the windows as free as possible from too many window treatments. Little cottages etc have always appealed to me- A collection of european style cottages by Jack Arnold just call to me. If I build another home it will be one of his plans- http://www.homesofelegance.com
Thanks for todays post- loved it!
Great article, the average house in the UK is probably sub 1200sq ft and the new ones are much less than 1000 sq ft – 65 million people living on a little island means there isn’t much room! The pictures above would be considered a big house here
But we’ve gotten pretty at living in a small space. it basically means not too may large pieces of furniture or having too much stuff. We generally buy furniture that can be used in a multitude of ways. Ikea is wildly popular here because of the price and the furniture tends to fit into the rooms here well.
Walls are decorated in plain, neutral colours with maybe an accent wall that stops the room from feeling enclosed. Some people also paint the woodwork and radiators the same colour to make the room seem bigger also. Check the Pottery Barn website, they have some awesome ideas for small space living.
Liz@VioletPosys inspiring blog post..Sweetpeas
Hey Girl, This post is marvelous. I mentioned you on my post today about how you gave me an idea about a blessing book. I made one for a giveaway, and I want to send you one too…you get the credit for giving me the idea! Thank you for the wonderful idea!
When you can send me an address that I can send you this little gift.
Blessings,
Debbie
DebbieCalifs inspiring blog post..Homecoming
::: wipes drool from mouth ::::
wow. that house is just dreamy…!
shelbis inspiring blog post..{ working } UPDATING THE SHOP TODAY!
After 14 wonderful years we moved from our 1,300 square foot house when our 4th child was born. Our current home is twice the size and it is pretty funny that we still spend most of our time in our teeny~tiny family room…You can take the family out of the small home but you can’t take the small home out of the family…I often miss that smaller house and I too used to sit and imagine all the changes I would do to find more space.
Smiles ~ Ramona
Ramona Owens inspiring blog post..Taking Time For A Bit Of Porch Put~zing
I love smaller spaces rather than large homes. I posted about my love for small, cozy, cottage homes recently. I love the character and the closeness (as in my kids all hanging out with us in the family room, than in other parts of a large house). I agree with opening up walls and having a more open floorplan. I just love an open kitchen into the family room. Everyone is hanging out and doing their thing with all of us together and part of it all.
~Corinne
Corinnes inspiring blog post..It’s A Book Tag
I love the drawers under the stairway. We had one home in England where a previous owner had installed a very tiny powder room under the stairs.
Laura Ingalls Gunns inspiring blog post..A Blissful Booth
Unfortunately, I live in a small house. Not my taste but hubby love old and wood house.
Luckily, we have enough cabinets for my cutlery but not big enough for my walk-in §:-)
I have small rooms in the cellar for my grocery, shoe room, linen room and a for the winter clothes.
We have the same thoughts. Planning all the things to make the house more beautiful… my, my, my! Now, am desperated to think of it.
Have a nice day!
Chies inspiring blog post..MY dreamy Wednesday
Those are all great ideas! What is considered a “small” house? My house is 2000 square feet, and some would consider it small. One trick I use is trying to have all of the flooring match from room to room. I also have the clear seamless shower surround in my master bath.
I love everything about this post! I love small homes…just not too small! Mine (which is an apt.) is only a little over 900 sq. ft. …way too small! I’ve always wanted a home with an arched front door! Nothing gets more cottagy than that!
Thanks for the great tips! I like the space for the dog bed, that’s perfect!
great post, some good ideas and inspiration, my cottage is small really and the storage problem is a nightmare, I am having to be more and more creative, great idea for using the nooks and crannies…
we opened up the parlour/sitting room by removing both the doors and it’s amazing the difference in light and how it changed the use of the room
of course light colours and lots of mirrors help too
thanks for the inspiration
Sarah
sarah @ a beach cottages inspiring blog post..white painted beachy stripe chair
Melissa,
I really enjoyed this post, but I have to say that you could make any place seem cozy and adorable! You just have that kind of spirit and I love it. I also enjoyed reading all of the comments. Very creative, interesting readers you have here.
Big hugs,
Deb
Debbie/Four Angel’s Mommas inspiring blog post..Reflections on What Must be
I do have awesome commenters. I love reading every thing you all say. Do you want to come over for cupcakes?
This is the BEST post ever!!! I have had a teenie tiny house and a house that was so big (in my eyes) that I was almost embarrassed by it’s size. Give me a small house any day!!! We now live in a house that is bigger than my favorite house, but half the size (or less) than my last house. I’m happier, but I miss my tiny house desperately.
As for making it feel not so tiny? Some of my favorite ideas are keep it light and bright. Light colored walls, cabinets, window coverings, etc. I’ve taken down walls and in fact over this past weekend I came up with this crazy idea to put transom windows above the doors in the hallway to brighten up the hall. What a huge difference. The best thing to do is to keep the clutter to a serious minimum. LOVE your ideas and these photos are terrific too. Thanks!!!!
BTW…I’m having a give away, pop by my blog if you’re interested.
Suzanns inspiring blog post..Want to Get Something for Nothing?